When Life Comes Full Circle

21 years ago, a young woman left Michigan to embark on a new adventure in Washington DC as an undergraduate of George Washington University. Her future was laid out with plans for a career in international affairs with frequent world travel, connecting and engaging on global topics with movers and shakers of all walks of life. Equipped with fluency in Russian, French, English, and Italian, she was ready to take on the world.

That young woman of course, was me. And that career in international affairs never materialized. Between one thing and another, life had other plans….until recently. As someone who has always believed that things happen for a reason, it occurred to me last week as I drove into Washington DC on a bright sunny day, with a crisp blue sky casting a a powerful contrast to the dome of the US Capitol and the pinnacle of the Washington Monument…that connecting the dots of my life, has brought me back, full circle, to where I started. Except that now, my dots are connected. They make sense. Each dot leads to the next, creating a basis and foundation for me to stand on. Dots that had I embarked on my theoretical dream career twenty years ago, would never have connected in the same way.

Connecting the Dots in Life

College opened my eyes to the realities of Washington with internships at think tanks and the State Department.

Moving back to Italy after undergrad instead of pursuing my studies in international affairs and Russian studies opened my eyes to my passion for education.

Moving back to the United States provided me first with a chance to start teaching and then with the support system to face my non Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.

Surviving cancer gave me perspective, led me to run my first marathon, to meeting my ex-husband, and then to my daughter.

Teaching for twelve years fueled my passion to build self sufficiency in others and reinforced my beliefs that there is nothing more important than building capacity in others.

New dreams became my reality and allowed me the time and opportunity to become an advocate for causes that I believe in.

Those causes and campaigns led me all the way back to where I started, on the streets of Washington, energized and ready to take on international issueslike global heath.

And now? That last dot…..is where it comes all together. Empowering children as they are our future. Encouraging others to make every moment matter. Using my voice to advocate for issues like global health, because out of all the things in life that we CANNOT control…this one thing, giving children access to life saving vaccines that will enable them to have a shot at childhood…we can control that.

Above and beyond my work with Shot@Life, walking the streets of Washington DC last week, reminded me of an inner me, that comes alive when given the chance to speak, to present, to advocate, to build awareness and to educate. Not as a teacher in the traditional sense, but I felt like I was actually “doing” international affairs as an advocate. As a public speaker. As a trainer. As a voice.

Admittedly, it is not always easy to connect the dots in life. There are always more dots that need connecting. The dots of my future are looking at me squarely in the face asking me to identify sustainable next steps. There is doubt, uncertainty, and trepidation about whether using my voice is really enough.

Except that of course, I know the answer. The crisp blue sky over Washington DC, beckoning me along with 100 other Shot@Life Champions last week, to meet with over 100 members of Congress, gives me my answer. I give myself my answer.

Freelance Writer, Digital Media Strategist, Runner, Cancer Survivor and Chaser of Dreams. Elena writes about finding everyday wellness in far off lands, at home in the Washington D.C. suburbs and everywhere in between.

One of the beautiful things about women is that we extrapolate trajectories of experience. We never lose the contribution of any past piece of the journey, so connecting the dots, though circuitous, looks like an inevitable conclusion. Lovely, Elena! (not to be facetious, but I think it’s a natural selection thing: we learn to predict behaviors of our mates going forward, so this mental graphing is an innate skill. It’s also why we go, “Arrgh! You always do that!” past behavior is forgiven but can’t be erased from the mental graph.

What a great post. I agree with you totally, I think things do happen for a reason and I’ve seen a few of my dots connect also. So glad I had a chance to meet you and that we will be serving as Champions together.

I love your story! It is inspiring and a reminder that we keep changing and growing and that are dreams have a way of unfolding. This sounds like such an exciting time for you … and who wouldn’t root for you and the cause you are supporting.

I love this so much. We all have a road to travel, filled with dots to lead us to the next step. I’ve learned to enjoy the journey and be excited about connecting the next dot. I’m Type A, so sometimes my patience wears thin, but then the next dot appears and I’m moving forward.

Follow along

Who is Elena?

Elena spent twelve years teaching children to chase their dreams before finally taking her own advice. Elena writes about finding everyday wellness in far-flung places and your own backyard. She is passionate about finding the silver lining even on the rainiest of days from her perch in the Washington DC suburbs.